1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibratory tool for compacting concrete or asphalt.
2. Description of the Related Art
Poured concrete or asphalt driveways are usually compacted using heavy rollers. This process, however, can lead to driveway edges that are irregular and which easily crumble. Most hand or power tampers are designed for tamping horizontal surfaces and are not suited for tamping the edges of poured or deposited driveways. Examples of vibratory tampers which are not particularly suited for tamping sloping surfaces are shown among the references cited below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,370, issued to Arno Zurbes et al. on Jul. 8, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,314, issued to Theodore S. Wadensten on Aug. 8, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,233, issued to Robert M. Motl on Aug. 23, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,611, issued to Martin Pilachowski on Feb. 17, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,980, issued to Vladimir A. Shilkov et al. on Aug. 26, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,568, issued to Benno Kaltenegger on Aug. 10, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,197, issued to Susumu Tetsuo on Jan. 29, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,427, issued to Gunnar Grane on Oct. 9, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,576, issued to Alain Clavel et al. on May 29, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,403, issued to Christian T. Tertinek et al. on Sep. 12, 1978; German Unexamined Patent Application Number 28 15 723, by Gunnar Grane, published on Oct. 19, 1978; German examined Patent Application Number 19 16 396, by Heinrich Treude, published on Jun. 15, 1978; and German Unexamined Patent Application Number 21 55 687, by Wacker Werke KG, published on May 17, 1973, all show powered vibratory tampers or compactors.
A vibratory edger made by VIBCO industrial vibration products is shown on VIBCO""s internet site at www.vibco.com. The posting date of this site on the internet is not known. VIBCO""s vibratory edger is designed such that a portion of its tamping surface lies horizontally on the top surface of an asphalt driveway while another portion of the tamping surface is at an angle to the horizontal. The VIBCO device can only form asphalt driveway edges at one constant angle and does not allow the end user to form a driveway edge at any of a wide range of slope angles. Therefore, the user of the VIBCO device would have to purchase a separate vibratory edger for each edge surface slope angle that the user desires to form. Furthermore, the VIBCO device is unsuitable for compacting sloped surfaces that are more extensive than the narrow strip along the edge of a driveway.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. In particular, none of the above references show a vibratory compacting tool that can be used to form sloped surfaces at any of a wide range of slope angles as selected by the end user of the tool. Therefore, the need persists in the art for a single vibratory tool which can be used to form sloped surfaces at any of a wide range of slope angles.
The present invention is directed to a vibratory tamping tool which is shaped for easy maneuvering and tilting so as to allow the tamping and shaping of surfaces which are sloped relative to the horizontal. The tool has a tamping surface which is longer than it is wide, and the tool""s handle bar is oriented parallel to the length of the tamping surface. A motor and vibratory mechanism are supported on a platform which is spaced apart from the tamping surface. The platform is supported above the tamping surface by a web plate extending from the plate which forms the tamping surface to the platform supporting the motor and vibratory mechanism. The platform supporting the motor and vibratory mechanism, the web plate, and the plate forming the tamping surface together form the base of the tool. This base has an I-beam structure.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a tamping tool that can be used to compact sloped surfaces.
It is another object of the invention to provide a tamping tool that is flexible and that can be used to form compacted surfaces at a variety of slope angles.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tamping tool with a tamping surface that is longer than it is wide and with a handle bar that is parallel to the lengthwise dimension of the tamping surface in order to allow the tool to be easily tilted.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a tamping tool which does not have its motor or vibratory mechanism mounted to the plate which forms the tamping surface, such that the size and shape of the tamping surface will not be constrained by the need to provide for the mounting of the motor and/or vibratory mechanism.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.